The National Gallery’s Education Intern Gianna Whittaker and Exhibitions Intern Arabella Stocker recently visited Cayman Brac and Little Cayman to facilitate arts-based programming for the Sister Islands communities. Read about their experience, in their own words!

Day One:

Arabella: The trip commenced on Wednesday 2nd April in Cayman Brac with an EY Senior’s Tea and Tour where we welcomed 15 seniors to enjoy our Days Gone By exhibition followed with tea, sandwiches and an art activity at the Cayman Brac Beach Resort. Staying thematically relevant to the Days Gone By exhibition, the seniors were set the task of creating their own ‘cultural memory’ framed artwork by interpreting the black and white photographs with varying stylistic techniques and colour. The purpose of the exercise was to address the importance of photography as a means to preserve, reflect and share Caymanian heritage. The Brac seniors all enjoyed the activity whilst sharing memories and stories that the photographs helped to revive.

Gianna: They were so kind and appreciative of the Days Gone By tour, and they enjoyed the activity as they were able to share stories and memories with one another. A few even shared memories related to the historical photos, and it was very heartwarming to see them reminisce and express themselves.

Arabella: After a successful session with the Brac seniors full of conversation and creativity, Gianna and I headed to Simone Scott’s art studio, ‘NIM Things’.  Here, we were welcomed by her father, Tenson Scott, winner of the Cayman Islands National Museum’s McCoy Prize in 2006. After hearing Tenson Scott’s story behind his winning necklace and its name, we were greeted and led into the studio by Simone Scott. Gianna and I were given a detailed tour of her impressive collection of works, varying from works on canvas to digital media. Simone Scott explained her current work in progress and her virtual exhibition site where she curates digital spaces to share her artwork.

Gianna: Seeing her work and having a personal walkthrough of her process was a memorable and delightful experience!

Arabella: Before leaving, Simone Scott gave us the recommendation to walk down a small trail to the Long Beach Overlook. With her suggestion, we made our way to the trail route and ventured down the sandy path spotting numerous Soldier Crabs along the way. Here, we were able to see spectacular views of the Bluffs, a distinct and unique feature of the Brac which we were glad to have seen.

 

Day Two:

Arabella: Our second day on the Brac was packed with two more workshops and a studio visit in the evening with Gordon Solomon. Before heading over to Layman E. Scott Snr. High School, Gianna and I stopped at the Bat Caves and the Parrot Walk to try and seek out some local Jamaican Fruit Bats and Brac Parrots, whose unique red bellies set them apart from the parrots known to us in Grand Cayman.

After our successful side-mission, we continued our journey to Layman Scott High School for an ‘Art on the Road’ session. When we arrived, we were welcomed into the Year 11 art class where Gianna and I shared a presentation on ‘cultural memory’ and its importance in keeping history alive.

Gianna: The students quickly grasped the lesson regarding Cultural Memory, and during the activity, they happily shared examples of Cultural Memories with each other.

Arabella: After the presentation concluded, the Year 11s worked on creating their own ‘cultural memory’ frames. As art is a chosen subject for the high school students, it was interesting to see how they engaged with the task. One student exemplified cultural memory within her work unknowingly when depicting a parrot, characterising the bird with a red belly, something unique to the Brac community. Gianna and I then continued to our next class, a larger group of thirty 5-7-year-old students as part of the Cayman Brac YMCA after-school club and our Community Connections programme. The students were set the task of creating their own geodes, with multi-colored paper, glitter and markers. Being a much larger and younger group, we focused on an activity for the duration of the class. All students engaged with the task, creating personalised geodes of varying sizes, shapes, colours. After finishing, the students were then able to discuss their work with the person sitting next to them.

Gianna: The children were so enthusiastic and thrilled with the activity, and the results were a show of their creativity and passion for art.

Arabella: Our last stop on our Brac trip was a visit to Gordon Solomon’s studio, ‘Solomon Studio’. Whilst there Solomon gave me and Gianna a thorough tour of his studio, highlighting his current and past works. Much known for his Points-of-Light, Cubist and Realist works reflecting traditional Caymanian landscapes and heritage, it was interesting to glimpse into the evolution of Solomon’s thematic style within his contemporary work. Solomon divulged that his contemporary work portrays more symbolic and personal subject matter in tune with his own experiences, thoughts and feelings.

Gianna: Having a look through his work, both past and present, was inspiring and wonderful.

Day Three:

Gianna: The trip to Little was last but certainly not least.

Arabella: Gianna and I boarded a short 6-minute flight from the Brac to Little Cayman the next morning in time for our 10am EY Seniors Tea and Tour at the Little Cayman Museum. After landing, we headed straight to the museum and began setting up. Similar to our prior Brac Seniors Tea and Tour a couple days prior, the two-hour session consisted of a tour around the Home and Hearth exhibition, tea, sandwiches and an art activity. The catering was kindly provided by Little Cayman Beach Resort. During our tour around the exhibition, guests Debbi and Bob Truchan were able to share their memories and reflect on the landscape and traditional architecture represented in the quaint and charming exhibited works.

Gianna: The participants were so quaint and hospitable as they expressed their thoughts on the tour and enjoyed the art activity.

Arabella: After wrapping up the Seniors Tea and Tour, Debbi and Bob kindly invited Gianna and I to visit her studio, ‘D’Art of Living’. Gianna and I were able to see the resourceful and creative use of found objects in her art, from creating three-dimensional flowers from coconut mesh and plant pots from urchin shells. After Debbie Truchan’s detailed tour around her studio, we headed back to the airport with a few sight-seeing stops along the way. After arriving back in Grand Cayman, we were able to reflect on our time spent in Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. It was inspiring to see the vast amount of creativity across our Sister Islands across all age groups. The trip was also an important learning experience, being able to engage and learn more about the local community and to enhance my understanding of the differing environment across the three islands.

Gianna: Altogether, the trip was productive, heartwarming, and an overall memorable experience. I had an awesome time teaching and conducting the art sessions with the hospitable and kind-hearted people in the Brac and Little. I look forward to my next visit!

Thank you to our community partners who made this cross-island arts programming possible:

  • EY (Seniors Programme)
  • Maples (Community Connections)
  • Rawlinson & Hunter (Art on the Road)
  • Cayman Brac Beach Resort (Caz Brazington)
  • Layman E. Scott Snr. High School (Ms. Kimberly Conolly-Wright)
  • YMCA (Ms. Jinky Walton)
  • Little Cayman Beach Resort (Matt Maceratesi)
  • Little Cayman Museum 
  • Tenson Scott and Simone Scott
  • Gordon Solomon
  • Debbi Truchan and Bob Truchan